Key Drivers of Relationship Commitment in Supply Chain Management: Insights from Thailand’s Manufacturing Industry

Main Article Content

Siriwadee Sawaengdee
Bing Zhu

Abstract

Relationship commitment is a vital asset in today's dynamic business, as it cultivates connections among different parties and enhances a company’s performance. This study explores how relationship commitment can be enhanced and strengthened, improving supply chain management performance within the Thai manufacturing industry. Based on in-depth interviews with nine executives in the Thai manufacturing sector, trust was found essential. Furthermore, trust promotes integration and collaboration within partnerships. The findings offer effective strategies for enhancing relationship commitment in supply chains, highlighting the crucial role of trust in achieving operational efficiency and success.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Article Details

How to Cite
Sawaengdee, S., & Zhu , B. (2025). Key Drivers of Relationship Commitment in Supply Chain Management: Insights from Thailand’s Manufacturing Industry. Journal of Applied Economics and Management Strategy, 12(1), 243–260. Retrieved from https://kuojs.lib.ku.ac.th/index.php/jems/article/view/6236
Section
บทความวิจัย (Research Article)
Author Biographies

Siriwadee Sawaengdee, The Martin de Tours School of Management and Economics, Assumption University of Thailand.

Corresponding Author, Ph.D. Candidate

Bing Zhu , The Martin de Tours School of Management and Economics, Assumption University of Thailand.

Assistant Professor

References

Abdullah, Z., & Musa, R. (2014). The effect of trust and information sharing on relationship commitment in supply chain management. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 130, 266–272.

Amaya, N., Bernal-Torres, C. A., Nicolás-Rojas, Y. W., & Pando-Ezcurra, T. T. (2024). Role of internal resources on the competitive advantage building in a knowledge-intensive organization in an emerging market. VINE Journal of Information and Knowledge Management Systems, 54(5), 1153–1169.

Anwar, U. A. A., Rahayu, A., Wibowo, L. A., Sultan, M. A., Aspiranti, T., Furqon, C., & Rani, A. M. (2025). Supply chain integration as the implementation of strategic management in improving business performance. Discover Sustainability, 6(1), 101.

Barney, J. (1991). Firm resources and sustained competitive advantage. Journal of management, 17(1), 99-120.

Barney, J. B. (2007). Resource-based theory: Creating and sustaining competitive advantage. Oxford University Press.

Barney, J. B., & Mackey, A. (2018). Monopoly profits, efficiency profits, and teaching strategic management. Academy of Management Learning & Education, 17(3), 359–373.

Bearman, M., Dracup, M., Garth, B., Johnson, C., & Wearne, E. (2022). Learning to recognize what good practice looks like: how general practice trainees develop evaluative judgement. Advances in Health Sciences Education, 27(1):215-228. doi: 10.1007/s10459-021-10086-3.

Bispo Júnior, J. P. (2022). Viés de desejabilidade social na pesquisa qualitativa em saúde. Revista de Saúde Pública, 56, 101.

Boonsuwan, P., & Zhu, B. (2023). The role of intrapreneurship and environmental collaboration in fostering green innovation adoption in the hotel industry in Bangkok. Journal of Thai Hospitality and Tourism, 18(1), 98–110.

Bowman, C., & Ambrosini, V. (2003). How the resource‐based and the dynamic capability views of the firm inform corporate‐level strategy. British journal of management, 14(4), 289–303.

Bryman, A. (2016). Social research methods (5th ed.). Oxford University Press.

Bustinza, O., Parry, G., & Vendrell-Herrero, F. (2013). Supply and demand chain management: The effect of adding services to product offerings. Supply chain management: an international journal, 18(6), 618–629.

Chen, H., Mattioda, D.D. and Daugherty, P.J. (2007), “Firm-wide integration and firm performance”, The International Journal of Logistics Management, 18(1), 5-21

Creswell, J. W. (1998). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five traditions. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications.

Dryden, R. D., & Erzurumlu, H. C. M. (1996). Innovative University—Industry—Government Collaboration: Six Case Studies from the USA. Industry and Higher Education, 10(6), 365-370.

Dyer, J. H., & Singh, H. (1998). The relational view: Cooperative strategy and sources of interorganizational competitive advantage. Academy of Management Review, 23(4), 660–679.

Farouk, A. M., Zulhisham, A. Z., Lee, Y. S., Rajabi, M. S., & Rahman, R. A. (2023). Factors, challenges and strategies of trust in BIM-Based construction projects: A case study in Malaysia. Infrastructures, 8(1), 13.

Flynn, B.B., Huo, B. and Zhao, X. (2010), “The impact of supply chain integration on performance: a contingency and configuration approach”, Journal of Operations Management, 28(1), 58-71

Galletta, A., & Cross, W. E. (2013). Mastering the semi-structured interview and beyond: From research design to analysis and publication (Vol. 18). New York, NY: NYU Press.

Guo, Y., Liu, F., Song, J. S., & Wang, S. (2025). Supply chain resilience: A review from the inventory management perspective. Fundamental Research, 5(2), 450–463. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fmre.2024.08.002

Han, N., & Um, J. (2024). Risk management strategy for supply chain sustainability and resilience capability. Risk Management, 26(2), 6.

Hennink, M., & Kaiser, B. N. (2022). Sample sizes for saturation in qualitative research: A systematic review of empirical tests. Social Science & Medicine, 292, 114523.

Hessling, V., Åsberg, M., & Roxenhall, T. (2018). Relationship commitment and value creation in sponsorship relationships. Journal of Business-to-Business Marketing, 25(2), 137–160.

Holloway, I. (2008) AZ of Qualitative Research in Nursing and Healthcare. Wiley-Blackwell, Hoboken.

HSBC (2024). How businesses in ASEAN are building resilience against supply chain disruption. Retrieved from https://www.business.hsbc.co.th/en-gb/insights/balancing-supply-and-demand/how-businesses-in-asean-are-building-resilience-against-supply-chain-disruption

Huang, K., Wang, K., Lee, P. K., & Yeung, A. C. (2023). The impact of Industry 4.0 on supply chain capability and supply chain resilience: A dynamic resource-based view. International Journal of Production Economics, 262, 108913.

Imam, S. G. (2024). The importance of supply chain integration in the performance nexus: A case from developing country. South Asian journal of operations and logistics, 3(2), 1-22.

Jang, K., & Lee, J. (2022). The Effect of Trust and Relationship Commitment on Supply Chain Performance through Integration and Collaboration. Global Business & Finance Review, 27(5), 129.

Janmethakulwat, A., & Thanasopon, B. (2024). Digital technology adoption and institutionalization in Thai maritime industry: An exploratory study of the Thai shipowners. The Asian Journal of Shipping and Logistics, 40(3), 157–166.

Jepson, A., Clarke, A., & Ragsdell, G. (2014). Integrating “self-efficacy” theory to the Motivation-Opportunity-Ability (MOA) model to reveal factors that influence inclusive engagement within local community festivals. International Journal of Event and Festival Management, 5(3), 219–234.

Kero, C. A., & Bogale, A. T. (2023). A Systematic Review of Resource-Based View and Dynamic Capabilities of Firms and Future Research Avenues. International Journal of Sustainable Development & Planning, 18(10).

Khanuja, A., & Jain, R. K. (2019). Supply chain integration: a review of enablers, dimensions and performance. Benchmarking: An international journal, 27(1), 264-301.

Korathad, Y., & Boonpattarakan, A. (2017). Factors Influencing Trust and Relationship Commitment to Use the Calibration Service: A Case Study of Oil & Gas Companies in Thailand. Review of Integrative Business and Economics Research, 6, NRRU Special Issue, 250-259.

KPMG (2023). Thailand’s strategic position takes center stage: seizing opportunities in global supply chain realignment. Retrieved from https://tinyurl.com/yc4z4vdw

Krippendorff, K. (2018). Content analysis: An introduction to its methodology (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

Lambert, D. M., & Cooper, M. C. (2000). Issues in supply chain management. Industrial marketing management, 29(1), 65–83.

Leingchan, R. (2020). The transformation of post-COVID-19 Global Value Chains. Krungsri Research. Retrieved from https://www.krungsri.com/en/research/research-intelligence/ri-supply-chain

Madzimure, J. (2020). Examining the influence of supplier integration on supply chain performance in South African small and medium enterprises. The Southern African Journal of Entrepreneurship and Small Business Management, 12(1), 7.

Mailani, D., Hulu, M. Z. T., Simamora, M. R., & Kesuma, S. A. (2024). Resource-Based View Theory to Achieve a Sustainable Competitive Advantage of the Firm: Systematic Literature Review. International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Sustainability Studies, 4(1), 1–15 https://doi.org/10.31098/ijeass.v4i1.2002

Mason, J. (2002). Researching your own practice: The discipline of noticing. Routledge.

Morgan, R. M. (1994). The commitment-trust theory of relationship marketing. Journal of Marketing. 58(3), 20–38.

Mutambik, I. (2024). The Role of Strategic Partnerships and Digital Transformation in Enhancing Supply Chain Agility and Performance. Systems, 12(11), 456.

Neuendorf, K. A. (2017). The Content Analysis Guidebook. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

Nisar, A., Pandit, K., Showkat, S., Bhamare, A., Naik, K., Guglavath, S., & Narula, G. (2024). Developing robust supply chain strategies using production planning and risk mitigation for clinical trial onboarding and improving product quality. Cytotherapy, 26(6), S141.

Pfajfar, G., Shoham, A., Małecka, A., & Zalaznik, M. (2022). Value of corporate social responsibility for multiple stakeholders and social impact–Relationship marketing perspective. Journal of Business Research, 143, 46–61.

Prigge, G. W. (2005). University—industry partnerships: what do they mean to universities? A review of the literature. Industry and Higher Education, 19(3), 221-229.

Purba, J. T., Gumulya, D., Hariandja, E., & Pramono, R. (2023). Valuable, Rare, Inimitable, Non-Substitutable of Resources in Building Innovation Capability for Sustainable Development: Evidence from Creative Social Enterprises. International Journal of Sustainable Development & Planning, 18(2), 429–438.

Ruamchart, B. (2023). Supply chain resilience after the Covid-19 pandemic in Thai industry. Uncertain Supply Chain Management, 11(4), 1617–1626.

Rungsithong, R., Meyer, K. E., & Roath, A. S. (2017). Relational capabilities in Thai buyer-supplier relationships. Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing, 32(8), 1228–1244.

Ruslin, R., Mashuri, S., Rasak, M. S. A., Alhabsyi, F., & Syam, H. (2022). Semi-structured Interview: A methodological reflection on the development of a qualitative research instrument in educational studies. IOSR Journal of Research & Method in Education, 12(1), 22–29.

Soosay, C. (2024). Coordination in Supply Chains. The Palgrave Handbook of Supply Chain Management, 983–1008. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-19884-7_57

Statista. (2024). Gross domestic product (GDP) from the manufacturing sector in Thailand from 2012 to 2023. Retrieved from https://www.statista.com/statistics/1023216/thailand-gdp-from-manufacturing/

Stevens, G. C., & Johnson, M. (2016). Integrating the supply chain… 25 years on. International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management, 46(1), 19-42.6

Thailand Board of Investment (2024). Thailand’s Advantages. Retrieved from https://tinyurl.com/2bv2t634

Thailand Development Research Institute (2023). Strengthening Thailand’s supply chain. Retrieved from https://tdri.or.th/en/2024/10/strengthening-thailands-supply-chain/

Tse, Y. K., Dong, K., Sun, R., & Mason, R. (2024). Recovering from geopolitical risk: An event study of Huawei’s semiconductor supply chain. International Journal of Production Economics, 275, 109347. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpe.2024.109347

Um, J., & Han, N. (2021). Understanding the relationships between global supply chain risk and supply chain resilience: the role of mitigating strategies. Supply Chain Management: An International Journal, 26(2), 240–255.

Utami, H., & Alamanos, E. (2023). Resource-based theory: A review. In S. Papagiannidis (Ed.), TheoryHub book. Retrieved from https://open.ncl.ac.uk/

Wernerfelt, B. (1984). A resource‐based view of the firm. Strategic Management Journal, 5(2), 171–180.

Winterstein, J., Zhu, B., & Habisch, A. (2024). How personal and social-focused values shape the purchase intention for organic food: Cross-country comparison between Thailand and Germany. Journal of Cleaner Production, 434, 140313. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2023.140313

Yue, L., Ye, M. & Chen, Q. (2022). The Impact of Partnerships and Information Sharing on Corporate Sustainable Performance: A Mediation Model Moderated by Government Support. Front Psychol., 13, 942279. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.942279

Zhu, B. (2016). Consumer’s motivation, opportunities and abilities for sustainable consumption: A case in China. uwf UmweltWirtschaftsForum, 24(4), 337–352.

Zvarimwa, C., & Zimuto, J. (2022). Valuable, rare, inimitable, non-substitutable and exploitable (VRINE) resources on competitive advantage. International Journal of Business & Management Sciences, 8(1), 9–22.